China Hits Back at Trump’s Tariffs, Says U.S. Market Not Essential

As the U.S.–China trade war intensifies, China's vice president of the Center for China and Globalization, Victor Zhikai Gao, made bold remarks

China is hitting back at the U.S. following President Donald Trump’s latest escalation of the trade war by announcing a 125% retaliatory tariff on Friday.

The tariff will affect all U.S. goods and comes in response to Trump’s decision to increase duties on Chinese imports to 145%.

Speaking to reporters, China’s vice president of the Center for China and Globalization, Victor Zhikai Gao, dismissed concerns about losing access to the U.S. market.

“We don’t care! China has been here for 5,000 years. Most of the time, there was no U.S., and we survived,” Gao said.

When asked about the potential loss of the American market—which makes up around 15% of China’s total trade—Gao remained unfazed.

“If the United States wants to bully China, we will deal with a situation without the United States, and we expect to survive for another 5,000 years.”

Global fallout:

The tariff escalation has triggered turbulence in global markets. Since “Liberation Day” on April 2, major international indices have suffered sharp declines, with slight recoveries emerging Friday afternoon after China’s countermeasure.

While some economists warn that Trump’s tariffs risk sparking a global recession, others see geopolitical ramifications extending beyond trade.

“If the current tariff is sustained, and China is able to weather this difficult period, it will definitely boost Beijing’s confidence in facing potential Western sanctions in a future cross-strait war,” said Zhiqun Zhu, professor of international relations at Bucknell University.

The statement underscores rising concerns that China could interpret successful tariff resistance as a green light for more assertive actions—particularly regarding Taiwan.

Europe pivots to Beijing:

As tensions in the Pacific escalate, Europe appears to be quietly pivoting towards Beijing.

According to reports, EU leaders are set to travel to the Chinese capital in July for a summit with President Xi Jinping.

The move follows comments by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who recently described China as a “partner of the EU” and called for Europe to build stronger ties with Beijing amid uncertainty over Trump’s tariff regime.